Martin's Mini Cooper S R53

[martinj46]

Hi all,

Long time lurker here haha. A bit about myself firstly. My name is Martin, I'm 20 and from Aberdeen (met some of you at the last dyno day). With all the recent threads going up about Minis, I've decided to share my 'Mini Adventure'

I bought the car one year ago. It's a 52 plate, and was on 33k miles, had climate control, CD changer in the boot, multifuntion steering wheel etc etc.



First mod was to de-wiper the rear window, to complete the smooth lines.



I decided to check all the filters, more for peace of mind than anything else. Just aswell, because this is what I was greeted with..

Air filter





Cabin/pollen filter



Having changed these, the car drove much more smoothly.

The next few months were spent enjoying it as it was.



Then I had the car put on a dyno to get a base power figure, before I started any power mods. Don't read to much into the BHP figure, it seems a little high. For those not sure, BMW claim 162BHP for this age of car.



Moving on, I got a dave.f induction kit. It's fantastic! I was surprised at how much louder it made the supercharger whine, which can be addictive.



I'm a member on minitorque.com, and jumped in on a group buy for a set of MeisterR coilovers. They are highly rated within the Honda circles, so I thought I'd give them a try.







Also fitted an OMP lower strut brace at the same time









Also got a Cusco front upper brace a few weeks back.



The handling is immense now. Theres not even a hint of bodyroll. The coilies are height, preload and dampening adjustable, and come with front camber plates. For the money nothing else comes close.

The car stayed like that for a good few months, while I saved up for a set of new wheels. After lots of photoshoping, and even more thinking, I finally settled on a set of BBS RX's, which I got a great deal on.











I'm relly happy with how the car stands now. That's probably all thats going to happen for this year, just planning to enjoy it over the summer months, before strating on some power mods next year.

All comments welcomed, but don't be too harsh!

[scotty_d]

Tidy there all coming out the wood work now. lol


You thinking of selling the OEM wheels?

[mazdajason]

Good base power figures there, what are you aiming for?
How is insurance for you, i'm 23 and looked at insurance and it seemed quite high I thought.

[scotty_d]

mazdajason said:

Good base power figures there, what are you aiming for?
How is insurance for you, i'm 23 and looked at insurance and it seemed quite high I thought.

Our mini is in my Girlfriends name 23 also think it is around £500 fully comp with PNCB and me as a named driver not to bad as its only £80 more than her old car the fiesta 1.25.

[mwstewart]

You have certainly transformed it, I love the wheels!

I would however be worried about the the level of servicing the car has received, because the air filter doesn't look to have been touched for around 30k. Does the car have FSH? I would check the state of the oil, plugs fuel filter if you haven't already.

[martinj46]

Thanks all

scotty_d said:

You thinking of selling the OEM wheels?

Sorry, I'm keeping them for winter tyres/resale

My insurance is £1000 at them moment, which compared to some people I've heard from is pretty good for my age. Being in one of the lowest risk areas of the country definitely helps though.

With regards to servicing, it has a full BMW service history, but I've changed everything since I got it, just to be on the safe side.

[RVVUNM]

Nice car. You need a "one ball" conversion next, I had mine done for £70 and the car sounds great.

[martinj46]

RVVUNM said:

Nice car. You need a "one ball" conversion next, I had mine done for £70 and the car sounds great.

Thanks. The exhaust sounds like it's on it's way out anyway. Plan is a Milltek catback, with a Janspeed manifold. Need some money first though

[em177]

Recognise that car from facebook, ur mates with my mate Neil Halliwell

[scotty_d]

I spy a early white Chimaera in there too do tell and show. good taste mini's and tivs

[Another Fluffer]

I do like that, I must say!

[RVVUNM]

martinj46 said:

RVVUNM said:

Nice car. You need a "one ball" conversion next, I had mine done for £70 and the car sounds great.

Thanks. The exhaust sounds like it's on it's way out anyway. Plan is a Milltek catback, with a Janspeed manifold. Need some money first though

Good call.

[em177]

em177 said:

Recognise that car from facebook, ur mates with my mate Neil Halliwell

Oh and I forgot to add the car looks awesome!

Can't beat a good supercharger! My MX5 screams

[soad]

Tidy car, what is that colour called out of interest?

[Hartge210]

Cars looking well Martin, nice mod list matey.

Thanks for the tips on Meister settings btw (I'm Leccy Blue 2 on MT;))

[paulrhodes]

Those meister's look pretty tempting.

Looks great Mart.

[c0ldpl4ya]

Those BBS RX's look fantastic, great car there martyn!

[KennyGT]

Loverly car. I too own a R53 S and I love it. Really neat car mate, dont see to many green ones. Awesome.

mazdajason said:

Good base power figures there, what are you aiming for?
How is insurance for you, i'm 23 and looked at insurance and it seemed quite high I thought.

Im 23 mate and fully comp for me is £700

[martinj46]

Thanks for all the kind comments

em177 said:

Recognise that car from facebook, ur mates with my mate Neil Halliwell

ha, he was telling me about your car(s) just the other day actually. Really liking the black one. Can't beat a supercharged 'hairdresser' car

scotty_d said:

I spy a early white Chimaera in there too do tell and show. good taste mini's and tivs

My dads current car. I don't have any pics at the moment, but will try and get some up soon.

[martinj46]

soad said:

Tidy car, what is that colour called out of interest?

Cheers, it's British Racing Green

Hartge210 said:

Thanks for the tips on Meister settings btw (I'm Leccy Blue 2 on MT;))

No problem. If you get stuck, or want any more advice let me know